San Antonio Spurs red hot making NBA look like AAU

THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie made a couple of under-the-radar moves this week that had someone at the worldwide leader a little confused.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Garnett, whose team has the league’s highest payroll and a 3-10 record:

“We created this monster. We’ve got to deal with it. You’re going to have the business of basketball come into play I’m sure and management is probably going to do what they’ve got to do, but that’s out of our hands. We’ve got to control our own destiny, who we are as individuals and players. So like I said – for the fifth time – look at yourself and try to fix this thing.”\

TANKAPALOOZA!: Just a month into the season, intentional losing has become all the rage. The Eastern Conference has just three teams above .500, and the entire Atlantic Division is below sea level. Of course, some teams are better at tanking than others. During his team’s recent six-game slide, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, “There’s going to be nights where we measure progress a little bit differently.” Now, that’s the spirit.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Monta Ellis, Dallas vs. Houston, Nov. 20: 40 minutes, 13-18 FGs, 2-4 3-pointers, 9-2 FTs, two rebounds, eight assists, two steals, three turnovers, 37 points in a 123-120 win. Labeled an inefficient player and a bad free agent signing, this was the second time this season Ellis had a points-per-shot of better than 2.0. Overall, he is 18th in the NBA at 1.41, a tick behind teammate Dirk Nowitzki and better than Chris Paul, Paul George, Blake Griffin, Roy Hibbert and Tony Parker.

LINE OF THE WEAK: Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn at Minnesota, Nov. 22: 24 minutes, 0-7 FGs, 1-2 FTs, three rebounds, zero assists, zero blocks, one steal, one turnover, one point in a 111-81 loss. Livingston has done a credible job in the absence of Deron Williams this season. But not in this game.

TRILLION WATCH: It looks like the first round of a golf tournament as seven players now have 4 trillions this season. Joining the pack this week were Sixers guard Elliot (not Mo) Williams (Wednesday vs. Toronto in his first game since March 7, 2012), Kings center Hamady Ndiaye (Saturday at the Clippers) and Celtics guard Phil Pressey (Saturday at Atlanta). They hold a share of the lead only because Portland’s Dorell Wright wrecked an 11 trillion with a rebound Monday at Brooklyn and Boston’s Keith Bogans ruined a 12 trillion with a steal Tuesday at Houston.

GAME OF THE WEEK: San Antonio at Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Nov. 27. The Spurs could be taking an 11-game winning streak into OKC, where the Thunder have yet to lose. So of course, ESPN’s game is Miami at Cleveland.

GAME OF THE WEAK: Phoenix at Utah, Nov. 29. I’m not sure this game is the reason why we call it “Black Friday,” but it doesn’t help. And for you masochists, the teams play again in Phoenix the next day.

TWO MINUTES: In attempting to end Kyle Korver’s 3-pointer streak, the Pistons had an interesting approach: Don’t let him see. Korver had to leave Wednesday’s game in the first period with a cut near his left eye and had yet to make a 3-pointer. The cut did not need stitches, and Korver extended his streak after returning in the second period. He is at 87 straight games after making one vs. Boston on Saturday, which ended a streak within the streak; Korver had made at least two threes in nine consecutive games. He had a similar run of 12 games with at least two threes right before the All-Star break last season. Korver can tie Dana Barros’ all-time record of 89 on Wednesday at Houston and break it at home Friday vs. Dallas. … The Grizzlies are 6-0 when Zach Randolph leads them in scoring and 1-6 when someone else sets the pace. He figures to get the ball even more now that Marc Gasol is out indefinitely with an MCL sprain. … It was hard to have had a worse offseason than Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson, whose girlfriend committed suicide before he suffered a broken toe late in preseason. After missing the first nine games, Anderson didn’t waste much time getting back into the swing of things, returning this week to average 19.3 points while shooting 62 percent (13-of-21) from the arc. … The Suns won in Orlando on Sunday despite making just 1-of-3 free throws. The last team to win making just one free throw was the New Orleans Jazz, who were 1-of-5 on Nov. 19, 1977 vs. Houston. … In Saturday’s 96-72 home loss to the Bobcats, Bucks starters Caron Butler, Ersan Ilyasova, Zaza Pachulia, Luke Ridnour and O.J. Mayo were a collective 8-of-28 for 18 points with nine rebounds, four assists and seven turnovers. In 94 minutes, they were a combined minus-120. “I told the guys after the game that there will be changes in our starting lineup,” said Milwaukee coach Larry Drew, whose team has lost eight straight games. “If they’re not on the same page with it, so be it, but there will be changes.” … The season is less than a month old and Pistons forward Josh Smith already has been benched twice by coach Maurice Cheeks. The first time was in Golden State, where Smith started the game but not the second half due to a perceived lack of effort. And he was not in the starting lineup Friday at Atlanta after missing Thursday’s practice. Cheeks announced the practice on the team flight after Wednesday night’s loss in Atlanta. But Smith was not on the plane, remaining in his hometown where he played his first nine seasons. Former Hawks teammate Al Horford provided some insight. “His dad is not doing so well, and I think that could have been on his mind a little bit,” Horford said. In the two games Smith has been disciplined by Cheeks, has scored two points on 1-of-13 shooting in 39 minutes. … The only player with multiple triple-doubles thus far this season is Pacers guard Lance Stephenson, who had one vs. Memphis on Nov. 11 and added another Friday at Boston. … In Wednesday’s win over Houston, Dallas teammates Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki each scored at least 35 points. The last Mavs teammates to do that were Jamal Mashburn (42) and Jason Kidd (38) in a 157-146 double-overtime win at Houston on April 11, 1995. … Chicago’s first game without Derrick Rose did not go well. The 121-82 loss to the Clippers was the worst in the NBA season and the biggest win in Clippers’ franchise history, including the Buffalo Braves. … The free-throw shooting of Pistons big Andre Drummond is an abomination. He had an airball in Tuesday’s win over New York. When he went 3-of-8 on Friday vs. Atlanta, he matched his makes for the entire season. And his 1-of-4 Sunday at Brooklyn “raised” his overall percentage to a blistering .241 (7-of-29). To put that in perspective, Thunder fans have made 5-of-23 halfcourt shots (.217) in 2013.

Trivia Answer: Boston’s Rajon Rondo and Gerald Wallace. … Happy 50th Birthday in Heaven, Lorenzo Charles, my former classmate at Brooklyn Tech. … If Steve Nash can only play once a week, there’s always soccer.

Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.